Sunday, February 18, 2018

Books and brews for literacy

by Julie Tollefson

On Wednesday, I have a date.

It’s a first for me. A local civic organization asked me to participate in its third annual Authors and Appetizers fund raiser as a featured author. I get to talk about my writing and hang with people dedicated to promoting literacy in our community. What an honor!


Books and Brews: Short Fiction Picnic Pack.
The organization, the local chapter of Altrusa International, has served the Lawrence, Kansas, community since 1951. Members support a number of community literacy efforts, including my favorite: Born to Read, in which every baby born at our local hospital receives a new book. More than 15,000 babies so far have taken home books courtesy of Altrusa.

The fund-raiser part of the Authors and Appetizers festivities includes a silent auction, and when organizers asked me to contribute I happily agreed. In the months since their request, I’ve thought long and hard about what to donate. I wanted to create a basket or package of items that would represent my writing and would tie into the themes of the talk I intend to give: the beauty of Kansas, travel, nature, and how combinations of those elements appear in both my fiction and nonfiction.

I settled on what I’m calling Books and Brews: Short Fiction Picnic Pack consisting of a small soft-sided cooler, a water bottle and a couple of coozies celebrating Kansas wildlife and parks, plus copies of the four publications in which my short stories have appeared: Flash and Bang: The Short Mystery Fiction Society Anthology, Fish Nets: The Second Guppy Anthology, and two issues of Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. (And just to make sure someone will bid on it, I’ve included a six pack of craft beer from the first legal brewery to open in Kansas after Prohibition.)

Now comes the hard part: Talking about myself. Wish me luck!



9 comments:

  1. you're a natural! Tell the sand at the end of the driveway story.

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  2. What a great idea and I love the idea of your gift pack. You'll rock it, Julie!

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  3. Aww, thanks you two! I think it's going to be a fun time - and I hope Altrusa raises much money for its programs!

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  4. Great basket! I've donated a basket with books, mug, cookies & tea to several silent auctions, and I'm always pleased with how much they bring in.

    Have fun at the event.

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  5. Thanks, Warren!

    KM - It was fun to think about what to put in the basket. I settled on something I would like to buy myself!

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  6. You'll enjoy it Julie, believe me. I donate baskets to the auctions at Malice Domestic every year, too. Mine include some of my books as well as something like seeds, etc. because of the theme of my cozy series which is gardening. I also give talks to different organizations occasionally. The one I enjoyed most was a Sisters of Notre Dame group of retired or still working nuns. They had over 800 nuns living there.

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  7. Your basket looks great - I wish I were there to bid on it!
    Your audience will love you - the story about the snowy driveway is a perfect icebreaker. Enjoy, enjoy!

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  8. Thanks, Gloria. Your baskets sound terrific -especially this time of year when I'm dreaming of getting my garden started again for a new season.

    Shari - Thanks! I wonder whether I should take a hammer along as a visual aid?

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